Tomato Alien Bento

This bento is almost entirely leftovers from a delicious dinner my hubby and I enjoyed at Sizzling Tandoor in Santa Rosa. They make delicious Indian food and we were there for Happy Hour so it was quite affordable. I ordered Idli Sambaar because I really wanted to try idlis after reading about them in a great book called Monsoon Diary: A Memoir with Recipes. My husband is reading the book now, and he was also hankering for some good Indian food.

Hubby ordered Peshawari Lamb Boti Kebab, which was so moist and flavorful. I took the leftovers home to make this bento. In the upper compartment: Sambaar Daal, red cherry tomato from Triple T Ranch, and leftover Lamb Kebab. In the lower compartment: idli, grapes from Schletewitz Family at the Santa Rosa Farmers Market, greens from Offerings of the Land, and tomatoes (cherrys from Ridgeview Farms and large orange tomato from Larry Wagner of Sebastopol) arranged like a little alien. I used pieces of spaghetti to pin the "eyeballs" to the head and nori cutouts for the facial features.

The reason I made this little alien dude is because the idli reminded me of Flying Saucers. They are rounded on the top and bottom, so they have that saucer shape. :)

Closeup of the Alien. "We come in peace! Take me to your bento!"

On a less silly note, I went to the Ladybug release party last night to remember my friend Glen's late wife. It was a really nice way to honor her memory. I put together a video slideshow of the evening.

Indian Bento and Taste of Sonoma

Leftovers and Tasty Bite made this bento possible. I just finished reading a great memoir/cookbook by Shoba Narayan called Monsoon Diary: A Memoir with Recipes. It made me hungry every time I opened the book to read a chapter. Shoba writes honestly and humorously about her family and her neighbors (and herself) in this book, recalling her childhood, teen years, move to America and eventual wedding. At the end of each chapter is a recipe that pertains to what happened. It's really well written and I recommend it highly! Of course, after reading stories about dal, idilis, rasam, curry, and chutneys I was ravenously hungry for Indian food. Short on time, I resorted to prepackaged Tasty Bite lentils. I know, I know, but I did make my own cardamom and clove scented rice pilaf.

In this bento: a green zebra heirloom tomato from The Patch, cherry tomatoes from Triple T Ranch and Ridgeview Farms, radish slices and apple slices from Ridgeview Farms, cucumber from Crescent Moon Farms, a silicone cup filled with lentils (Tasty Bite!) topped with basil from Triple T Ranch and homemade rice pilaf with a bit of black sesame seeds.

Recipe for Cardamom and Clove Scented Rice Pilaf

1 1/2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon minced red onion

1/2 cup jasmine rice

2 cardamom pods

3 cloves

1 1/4 cup water

In a pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, rice, cardamom pods, and cloves. Cook and stir for about 2 or three minutes until fragrant. Add water, turn up heat and bring to a boil. Cover and turn heat down to low. Simmer covered for 15 minutes. Remove lid, fluff and recover for 5 minutes off heat. Makes enough for 3 or 4 servings. Top with minced cilantro and chopped tomatoes if desired.

This past weekend was super fun with a great visit to MacMurray Ranch, site of the 2010 Taste of Sonoma. Here is a video of the amazing food, wine, and atmosphere that I enjoyed at the event.

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.